Switzerland 
That’s the Price
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Swiss sellers do not have a soft approach to prices, at least not when it comes to their prices. Of course there is always some room for negotiation, but it should be done with tact and moderation.

You have to understand that the Swiss people never discuss retail prices. Either they buy it at the full price or they go away (which usually means they do not buy at all because prices are the same in every shop). And most of the time they buy, which makes it a retailer’s dream. If in the morning the Swiss retailer asks: “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, tell me what is the price of a cup of coffee today?” and the mirror answers “Five francs,” the consumer will take it and say “That’s the Price.

Let’s say you received offers for the same product or service from two different companies, and the price difference was 50%. If you were to call the more expensive company’s salesman and ask him if he could lower his price in the face of the other offer, chances are that you would hear, “I can’t lower my prices because competitors are cheaper, voyons (go away)!”

In many cases, businesses have such a captive market that buys their goods at whatever price they care to name that your deal has to be really big if you want them to change their practices. Fat cats do not need to bargain.

Apart from prices, the Swiss can be remarkably flexible when it comes to commercial deals. People do not like direct confrontation and are usually ready to compromise. As in politics, they will try to find a juste milieu, a solution that is acceptable to everybody. Not being able to find an agreement will be considered a failure.



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